🇳🇱Friesland — Vlieland

Vliehors (Cornfield Range)

Updated: August 10, 2026

The Vliehors is the vast sand flat on the western end of Vlieland and hosts the Cornfield Range: the only air-to-ground weapons range of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Fighter jets — today the F-35 — practise here with cannon and practice bombs on targets in the sand, directed from the range tower. The area is also listed in the Dutch government's official military areas dataset as a firing and flying zone.

The Vliehors is one of the emptiest places in the Netherlands: kilometres of bare sand plain, tidal gullies and no landmarks whatsoever. Anyone who has to pass a position here — range crew, observers, recovery teams — relies entirely on coordinates, and that means MGRS. On this page you can see the MGRS zone, terrain features and an interactive map with 3D view of this unique area.

On the map

Vliehors (Cornfield Range)Open in MilMap
MILMAP

MilMap on this ground

On a bare sand flat like the Vliehors, MGRS navigation is not an exercise but a necessity: there is literally nothing to orient on. With MilMap you share target positions and safe zones in MGRS, and the weather layer's tide awareness helps you account for incoming water on the flat.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Cornfield Range?

The Cornfield Range on the Vliehors (western Vlieland) is the only air-to-ground weapons range of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, where fighter jets train with onboard weapons and practice bombs.

Can you enter the Vliehors?

Outside firing exercises part of the flat is accessible (including via the Vliehors Expres), but during exercises the area is strictly closed. Follow the signage and flag signals.

Which MGRS zone covers the Vliehors?

The Vliehors falls within UTM grid zone 31U. The exact MGRS coordinate of the centre point is shown at the top of this page.